Preparations for the 2026 iteration of the annual GO Outside Festival, set to take place Friday to Sunday, began last November.
Soon after last year’s event concluded, Kait Pedigo and other workers of the Roanoke Outside Foundation started evaluating what went well and what had room for improvement. They consulted with the city of Roanoke's and Roanoke County's parks and recreation departments. Then, they began coordinating with vendors — the outdoor sports shops, nonprofits, national brands and other organizations that help make the event happen.
“Over the year, it comes together piece by piece,” said Pedigo, the Roanoke Outside Foundation’s events manager.
GO Fest is a free three-day event, split between two locations: Basecamp at Elmwood Park in Roanoke and the Adventure Outpost at Explore Park in Roanoke County. Roughly 40,000 people attend the event, the vast majority at the main location in downtown Roanoke.
Basecamp features paddling demos, a ProTown BMX Stunt Show, climbing towers, food and beverages, live music and adventure films, a highline stunt show and more than 100 outdoor vendors. Some activities at the Adventure Outpost include an Ultimate Air Dogs trick show, a ninja course, bike demonstrations and live music; Dreaming Creek Band and Joe Crandall will perform Saturday afternoon, while TJ Ellis and Luke King will follow the next day. Attendees can camp, too.
“GO Fest is for everyone,” said Kathryn Lucas, the director of public relations for Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge. “You don’t even have to be into hardcore outdoor adventure. There are going to be some arts components going on at activities downtown. One of my personal favorites is the campfire stage, where they have different talks and panels going on.
“Even if you’re not into big crowds and things like that, there are areas that are nice and calm and laid back to relax as well.”
Every year is different. Pedigo said GO Fest “reflects the current state of the industry and the community.”
“So, some years, we have businesses that are thriving and putting on amazing opportunities to get out and amazing activities,” Pedigo said. “Some years, we have different businesses, different vendors show up because of how things are going. Over the course of a couple of decades, we’ve seen a lot of new businesses in the region. There are even a few new ones this year.”
Speaking of new features: GO Fest is adding elements in 2026. One is a film screening of someone who climbed to the top of the Mill Mountain Star. Another addition is paddling down the Roanoke River. The element that Lucas said she is anticipating most, though, is the ninja warrior course at the Adventure Outpost.
“GO Fest is very much about experiencing and being hands-on,” Lucas said. “Any time that there are more opportunities for people to get out there and get their hands on things and really get into the outdoors, that’s what really excites me.”
GO Fest is one of the main events of the fall for Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge. As the leaves change and fall weather washes in across the Interstate 81 corridor, Lucas and her team work to leverage the area’s benefits.
“We like to describe our region as metro mountain,” Lucas said, “because you don’t have to trade one for the other.”
The festival will run from Friday evening until near sunset on Sunday. Smoking is prohibited and pets are permitted.
Basecamp will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Adventure Outpost is available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The free shuttle leaves Elmwood Park at the top of every hour and Explore Park at the bottom of every hour.
